New York's Met Museum Faces Legal Challenge Over Supposedly Nazi-Plundered Van Gogh Masterpiece
The family members of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against The Met, claiming that a Van Gogh canvas was seized by Nazi forces.
Case History
According to the lawsuit, the Stern couple acquired the painting, titled Olive Picking, in 1935. Just one year later, they were obliged to escape their home in the German city of Munich on the eve of World War II.
The legal action argues that the institution, which purchased the masterpiece in the mid-1950s for one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, ought to have been aware it was almost certainly confiscated property. The descendants are now demanding the restitution of the canvas along with damages.
In the decades since World War II, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through NYC, states the lawsuit.
Forced Emigration
The Sterns fled from Munich to America in 1936 with their six children due to the oppressive Nazi regime. However, they were unable to bring the painting, which was created by the Dutch post-impressionist in 1889.
Before they left, Nazi authorities designated the painting as a German cultural asset and banned the Sterns from taking it abroad. Once approved from a Nazi official, a representative assigned by the authorities disposed of the piece on the Sterns' behalf. But, the proceeds from the sale were placed in a restricted account, which the Nazis later seized.
Subsequent Ownership
In 1948, or shortly after, the canvas was brought to New York and was bought by a wealthy American, a member of the Astor family. Later, it was exchanged through a art dealer to the museum, which then passed it on to wealthy Greek businessman Goulandris and his spouse, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.
The Goulandris pair founded the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in the late 1970s, which manages a museum in the Greek capital where the artwork is currently exhibited.
Legal Arguments
The foundation and a living relative of Goulandris are identified in the suit. The legal action states that the family and its affiliates have covered up the artwork's provenance and location from the heirs.
To this day, the defendants continue to hide how and when the foundation came into possession of the artwork; the family's possession of the masterpiece from 1935 to 1938; and the truth that the Third Reich confiscated the canvas from the Stern family, forced the family into disposing of it via a regime representative, and took the proceeds of the transaction.
Previous Legal Action
The Stern heirs submitted a related lawsuit in California in 2022, but it was dismissed in the following years. An legal challenge was also rejected in May 2025.
The Met's Position
The legal action contends that the museum's acquisition of the artwork was approved by Theodore Rousseau Jr, the Met's authority of Old Masters and a leading authority on Nazi-era looted art. The curator and the museum knew or should have known that the masterpiece had probably been looted by Nazis.
The museum said in a statement that it prioritizes its ongoing pledge to resolve claims from the Nazi period.
A representative remarked: Never during the institution's custody of the painting was there any record that it had once belonged to the Stern family – actually, that knowledge did not become available until a long time after the artwork left the institution's holdings.
The museum's disposal of the Van Gogh met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – in particular, it was noted that the piece was deemed to be of lesser quality than other works of the comparable nature in the collection. While the institution upholds its position that this work entered the collection and was deaccessioned legally and well within all guidelines and policies, the museum invites and will examine any further evidence that emerges.
Foundation's Defense
William Charron acting for the Goulandris Foundation stated: The Goulandris Foundation is a highly prestigious organization in the Greek capital. The attempt to sue and smear the organization and the Goulandris family in the United States upon misleadingly incomplete allegations was earlier rejected, twice. We are certain it will be again.
